IS102 module 5

• Hard disk drive (HDD)


  Most often called a hard drive, rated by physical size, capacity, speed, technologies used inside, and interface standards

  
• Technologies used inside hard drives


  • Magnetic
  • Solid-state

  
• Magnetic hard drives


  • Have one, two, or more platters/disks that stack together and spin in unison inside a sealed metal housing
  • Firmware controls data reading, writing and motherboard communication
  • Read/write heads are controlled by an actuator
  • Data is organized in concentric circles called tracks, which are divided into segments called sectors
  • Form factors are 3.5" for desktops and 2.5" for laptops

  
• Solid-state drive (SSD)


  Also called a solid-state device, has no moving parts and uses nonvolatile memory similar to USB flash drives

  
• NAND flash memory


  The type of memory used in SSDs
• SSDs


  • More expensive than magnetic hard drives, but faster, more reliable, last longer, and use less power
  • Four popular form factors: 2.5" SSD, M.2 SSD card, mSATA SSD, and PCI Express SSD expansion card
• Throughput


  Typically measured in MB/sec, describes the amount of data that flows through a point in the data path over one second
• IOPS (input/output operations per second)


  Measure the amount of read or write operations performed in one second
• Latency


  Measure the time required to process a data request or transaction
• Interface standards used by hard drives


  • IDE (outdated)
  • SCSI (also outdated)
  • SATA (the most popular current standard)
  • NVMe (the latest and fastest standard)

  
• IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)


  • Allowed for one or two IDE connectors on a motherboard, each using a 40-pin data cable
  • Two types of IDE cables: older 40-pin with 40 wires, and newer 40-pin with 80 thinner wires
  • Maximum recommended length of an IDE cable is 18"
• SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)


  • Can support up to 7 or 15 SCSI-compliant devices in a system
  • Requires a SCSI expansion card called the SCSI host adapter, which uses a PCIe slot and provides one external and one internal SCSI connector
• SATA (Serial ATA)


  • Most hard drives today use the SATA interface standards to connect to a motherboard
  • SATA uses a serial data path, and a SATA data cable can accommodate a single SATA drive
  • The three SATA standards are Revision 3.x, 2.x, and 1.x
  • SATA supports hot-swapping (hot-plugging)
  • A SATA drive connects to one internal SATA connector on the motherboard via a 7-pin data cable and uses a 15-pin SATA power connector
• SATA Express


  • Allows SATA and PCIe to work together, using a new SATA connector
  • Speed is about three times that of SATA 3.0
• External SATA (eSATA)


  • Provides external SATA ports for external drives
  • Uses a special external shielded SATA cable up to 2 meters long
  • Seven-pin eSATA ports run at the same speed as internal SATA ports
• NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express or NVM Express)


  The newer interface standard used only by SSDs, which transfers data at 32 Gb/sec using PCIe 4.0 or 8Gb/sec using PCIe 3.0

  
• Selecting a hard drive


  1. Ensure motherboard and drive support the same interface standard

  2. Consider technology, form factor, capacity, data transfer rate, and spindle speed for magnetic drives

  
• Installing a SATA drive


  1. Back up data first

  2. Shut down, unplug, and drain residual power

  3. Decide drive bay, slide in drive and secure it, connect SATA and power cables, power up and verify in BIOS/UEFI
• Installing a drive in a removable bay


  Unplug cage fan, remove locking devices, slide bay out, install drive, slide bay back in, reinstall locking pins, plug in cage fan
• Installing a small drive in a wide bay


  Use a universal bay kit to fit a 2.5" drive in a 3.5" bay
• Installing an M.2 SSD card


  Measure card length, slide card straight into slot, install one screw in standoff, verify in BIOS/UEFI

  
• Installing a hard drive in a laptop


  Power down, remove peripherals and battery, remove drive cover, remove old drive, install new drive, replace cover and battery, power on
• Installing an M.2 SSD Card


  1. Read the motherboard manual to find out the types of M.2 cards the board supports

  2. Measure the length of the card and decide which screw hole for the M.2 slot the card requires

  3. Slide the card straight into the slot, but not from an upward angle

  4. Install the one screw in the standoff to secure the card to the motherboard

  5. Start the system, go into BIOS/UEFI setup, and make sure the M.2 card is recognized by the system
• Installing a Hard Drive in a Laptop


  1. Power down the system; remove peripherals; and remove the battery pack

  2. Remove a screw that holds the drive cover in place

  3. Remove the plastic cover from the drive and lift and remove the hard drive

  4. Insert the new drive in the bay, replace the cover and the screw, then power up the system

  5. BIOS/UEFI should recognize the new drive and search for an OS

  6. If drive is new, boot from the Windows setup or recovery DVD or USB flash drive and install the OS
• RAID


  Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks - a technology that configures two or more hard drives to work together as an array of drives
• Why use RAID


  • To improve performance by writing data to two or more hard drives so that a single drive is not excessively used
  • To improve fault tolerance by writing two copies of it, each to a different hard drive
• Types of RAID


  • Spanning
  • RAID 0
  • RAID 1
  • RAID 5
  • RAID 10
• How to Implement Hardware RAID


  1. Use a RAID-enabled motherboard that is managed in BIOS/UEFI setup or use a RAID controller card

  2. Run the software that comes with the RAID controller card to set up the RAID array

  3. For best performance, all hard drives in an array should be identical in brand, size, speed, and other features

  4. If Windows is to be installed on a RAID hard drive, RAID must be implemented before Windows is installed
• How to Implement Hardware RAID (continued)


  1. Install the drives in the computer case and connect each drive to motherboard

  2. Boot the system and enter BIOS/UEFI setup to verify the drives are recognized, select the option to configure SATA, and select RAID

  3. When the system reboots, enter BIOS/UEFI, on the Advanced page, select Intel Rapid Storage Technology and then select Create RAID Volume

  4. Under RAID Level, select RAID 5 (Parity) and Strip Size value

  5. Enter the size of the volume

  6. Select Create Volume to complete the RAID configuration
• Troubleshooting Hard Drives


  • Problems caused by hard drive during the boot can be caused by the hard drive subsystem, file system on the drive, or files required by Windows when it begins to load
  • When trying to solve a problem with the boot, decide if the problem is caused by hardware or software
• Slow Performance


  The overall performance of a system depends on the individual performances of the processor, motherboard, memory, and hard drive
• Optimizing Hard Drive Performance


  1. Use Windows tools or tools provided by the hard drive manufacturer

  2. Use a hard drive speed test utility program such as DISKSPD

  3. Use the Windows Defrag and Optimization tool (dfrgui.exe)
• Migrating Data to a New SSD in a Laptop


  1. Install the cloning software on your laptop

  2. Attach the SATA-to-USB data transfer cable to a USB port on your laptop

  3. Attach the new SSD to the SATA-to-USB data transfer cable

  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the data migration

  5. Remove the old hard drive, and install the new SSD into the laptop

  6. Install the drive management software from the SSD manufacturer
• Hard Drive Problems During the Boot


  • Hardware problems usually show up at POST
  • If BIOS/UEFI cannot access the drive, the cause might be the drive, data cable, electrical system, motherboard, or a loose connection
  • Things to do and check before opening case: check BIOS/UEFI for errors, try booting from another media, check RAID array status
• Troubleshooting Hard Drive Problems During the Boot


  1. Remove and reattach all drive cables

  2. If using a RAID or SATA controller card, remove and reseat it or place in a different slot

  3. Inspect the drive for damage

  4. Determine if hard drive is spinning by listening to it

  5. Check the cable for frayed edges

  6. Check the installation manual

  7. S.M.A.R.T. errors mean data should be backed up and drive replaced as soon as possible
• File System


  The overall structure the OS uses to name, store, and organize files on a drive
• Types of File Systems


  • NTFS
  • exFAT
  • FAT32 and FAT
  • CDFS (Compact Disc File System) or UDF (Universal Disk Format)
  • A newer version of UDF is used by DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray discs)
• Optical Discs


  CDs, DVDs, and BDs use similar laser technologies to represent bits as tiny lands and pits on the surface
• Optical Discs


  • Data is written to only one side of a CD
  • DVD or Blu-ray disc can hold data in two layers on each side
• Optical Drives and Burners


  • Blu-ray drives are backward compatible with DVD and CD technologies
  • DVD drives are backward compatible with CD technologies
  • A drive that can write to discs is commonly called a burner
  • Today's internal optical drives interface with the motherboard via a SATA connection